Beers, Friends, and Some Damn Fine BBQ

The summertime gathering. Invite the friends over, knock back a few bottles, and enjoy some delicious decadent food. This is one of my favorite recipes made with the Brioche Rolls from the previous post. The toasted sage adds a delicate rustic quality to this already smoky sandwich.

The Smoky BBQ Chop Sandwich

with thyme butter and toasted sage

Recipe:

Makes: 4 large portioned sandwiches

Ingredients:

2 large bone-in pork chops or pork tenderloin
1 cup beef stock
1 small onion
4 large brioche rolls
1/2 cup fresh sage leaves
1/4 cup fresh thyme
1/4 cup ketchup
4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
3 teaspoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons paprika
salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons butter
coarse sea salt

Instructions:

In a large Dutch oven heat 2 teaspoons of oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened and lightly browned, 5 minutes.
Add the chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, and paprika and cook until toasted, 1 minute more. Stir in the beef stock, ketchup, and maple syrup. Bring to a simmer and add the pork.
Simmer, covered, until the pork is just cooked through and tender, about 20 minutes
Remove the pork from the heat and bring to a cutting board to let stand for a few minutes. Increase the heat on the remaining sauce in the pot and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Cut the pork meat off the bone, and cut into small strips. Using two forks shred the strips into large chunks and add back into the thickened sauce. Toss well to coat. Let stand 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, to let the pork absorb the sauce.
In a small skillet heat up 1 tablespoon of oil and toast the sage for 2 minutes until it starts to get golden and crispy. Remove from heat and set aside.
Melt some butter on the pan and add thyme leaves to it, discarding stem. Mix thoroughly and transfer to a small ceramic dish and move to freezer to set.
Cut the brioche rolls in half and using the pan that has a bit of butter left in in toast the insides of the rolls.
Pull the herb butter from the freezer and spread it on both sides of the rolls.
Serve pork on rolls topped with crispy sage and sprinkle of sea salt.